The title of this disc is misleading. Nathalie Stutzmann has
compiled a collection of sinfonias and arias from Bach’s
cantatas and passions. The title led me to believe that she
might try to link them into some sort of sequence that aspired
to coherence. She hasn’t: instead, the disc is more of
a selection of “greatest hits” with little in the
way of thread to bind them. That’s not a bad thing in
itself, though it does make me question the marketing strategy.
Stutzmann has a unique voice, one which hasn’t always
appealed to me. However, she uses it to good effect here. Her
fruity, sometimes throaty contralto has a unique colour that
sets it apart. In a world where proper contraltos are becoming
an endangered species, it’s good to have a singer of her
artistry who embraces the register. She is at her best in the
lower writing, though, and some of the high notes in the third
track (from BWV 133) don’t flatter her at all. The mellow
textures of Bist du bei mir find her at her best, though,
even though the notes admit that this aria isn’t by Bach
at all. She brings excellent command of coloratura to many of
the arias, most notably BWV 74, and she shows that the skill
can be just as thrilling in a low voice as in a high one. She
uses her vocal tone to particularly haunting effect in the famous
Erbarme dich from the St Matthew Passion, and
I enjoyed the supplicatory tone of Vergiss mein nicht,
which is sung to the accompaniment of only a solo lute.
Another interesting point about the disc is that Stutzmann directs
her own chamber ensemble while singing. Orfeo 55 make a lovely
sound, lithe and flexible with great rhythmic bounce, and they’re
shown off to their finest effect in the Sinfonia that opens
the disc. The bass can be a little heavy at times, though, and
this damages the famous “Air on a G string” in particular.
They bring a tremendous sense of swing to BWV 174, otherwise
known as the first movement of Brandenburg 3 with added winds,
though not everyone will love the occasional rhythmic distortion
inserted for added effect. The wind textures are a particular
delight in BWV 18, though the strings show up Christ lag
in Todesbanden as a Sinfonia of daring harmonic invention.
The various instrumental solos, all of which are credited in
the liner notes, are fantastic, the highlight for me being the
cello in Jesus ist ein guter Hirt. The Mikaeli Kammarkör
make a clean, if somewhat underwhelming contribution to two
tracks, and they take Jesus bleibet at a much slower
tempo than we have become used to hearing nowadays.
The packaging includes full texts and translations into English
and French, though the accompanying notes are rather self-regarding
and uninformative.
Simon Thompson
Full tracklist
1. Sinfonia (Cantate “Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats”
BWV 42)
2. “Kommt, ihr angefochtnen Sünder“(Cantate
“Freue dich, erlöste Schar” BWV 30)
3. “Getrost” (Cantate “Ich freue mich dir”
BWV 133)
4. Aria (Suite pour orchestre n°3 BWV 1068)
5. “Bist du bei mir” (BWV 508)
6. Sinfonia (Cantate “Ich habe den Höchsten von ganzem
Gemüte” BWV 174)
7. Sinfonia (Cantate “Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis”
BWV 21)
8. “Nichts kann mich” (Cantate “Wer mich liebet,
der wird mein Wort halten” BWV 74)
9. “Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte” (Cantate
“Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ” BWV 33)
10. Sinfonia (Cantate “Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee
wom Himmel fällt” BWV 18)
11.“Erbarme dich” (Passion selon Saint Matthieu
BWV 244)
12. Sinfonia (Cantate “Christ lag in Todes Banden”
BWV 4)
13. “ Stirb in mir, Welt und alle deine Liebe” (Cantate
“Gott soll allein mein Herze haben” BWV 169)
14. “Gloria in excelsis Deo” (BWV 191)
15. “Jesus ist ein guter Hirt” (Cantate “Ich
bin ein guter Hirt” BWV 85
16. Sinfonia (Cantate “Himmelskönig, sei wilkommen”
BWV 182)
17. “Vergiss mein nicht, mein allerliebster Gott”
BWV 505
18. “Jesus bleibet meine Freude” (Cantate “Herz
und Mund und Tat und Leben” BWV 147)
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc from: |
|
|
|
|
Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto) 